Wire stretcher



WIRE STRETCHER Filed March e. '1923 y 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Mar. f4, 1324.

EDWARD J'. ABELL, 0F RILEY, KANSAS.

WIRE srnnrcnna.

Application led March 6, 1923.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, EDWARD J. ABELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Riley, in the county of Riley and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Wire Stretchers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, suoli as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. f

This invention relates to a stretching tool for wire, wire fabric and similar material.

lt is aimed to provide a novel` means for this purpose which will entirely avoid production of a slack portion in the wire or other material incidental to its use in order to facilitate attachment of the wire to a fence post or the like and avoid danger of the wire losing tension while being fastened; one in which allA of the wires will be disposed at one side, preferably the rear of the tool to facilitate the splicing or stapling of the wires before release by the tool; one having a stock and follower and means to secure a wire to the stock at times in such manner as to enable anumber of operations of the follower; one having a stock provided with an intermediate offset portion to enable wires to be'spliced or stapled without distortion thereof out of the line of tension; one in which a pushing as contrasted with a pulling movement is imparted to the stock; one which will be held in place by the wires being stretched or by a wire or wires in combination with a post; one which in a novel manner may be secured against turning relatively to wires, especially when a single wire is being stretched, and one of generally improved construction possessing the additional objects and advantages which will be apparent from a consideration of the accompanying drawings in the light of the following description.

In said drawings l i Figure 1 is a side elevation of the type of tool using a follower;

Figure 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the follower type of tool used to stretch asingle wire;

Figure 4 is a side elevation ofthe tool using block and tackle power means in connecticn with a single wire;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 but in connection with two wires, and

semi iro. 623,233.

Figure 6 is a form of stock.

Like reference characters designate like or similar parts in the dierent views.

Referring first to the form shown in Figure 1, wires A and B, adapted to be spliced together or stapled to a fence post are suggested. Such wires are to be taken as conventional since they may be ordinary plan wires, barbed wires, parts ofwire fabrics or the like. The tool consists of a stock, preferably of metal, and generally designated 10. This stock has securing arms 11 and 12 at opposite ends thereof invhorizontal alinement to which extension arms 13 and 14 may be secured when desired. Said arms 13 and 14 are detachably connected in any approved manner as by means of screws or bolts at 15. Intermediate the arms 11 and 12, the stock has spaced barsl 16, both offset from the longitudinal median line of the stock to provide a space or opening O.

Any suitable power means'is adapted for sliding movement longitudinally ofy the plan View of a modified ystock for use in the stretching of wires A and B. To this end, a follower 17 is utilized which may have an offset block 17 a disposed in the slot of the stock intermediate bars 16. A lever 18 is pivoted by a pin 19 to follower 17 and has pawls 20 and 21 pivoted thereto as by pins 22 fand 23. Said pawls 2O and 21, by means of shoulders 24 or otherwise are at proper times urged toward the bars 16 in order to engage notches 25 in the outer edges thereof. rPhe notches of one bar 16 are staggered with relation to the notches of the other bar 16. Said follower may have an attachingmeans for one of the wires, for instance a clamp 26.

f The stock may carry clamps at 27 and 28 and have an opening therethrough at 29. Clamps 26, 27 and 28 may be of any vsuit- 'able construction for instance having anvils 3() against which cam' levers 31, pivoted on pins 32 removably clamp the wires. A takeup clamp 26L similar toI clamps 26, 27 and 28 may also be carried by follower 17. Clips 33, may be passed around the wires A and B, arms 11 and 12 and their extensions 13 and 14. These clips may be resilient rings and split as at 31a in order to facilitate their attachment and detachment from the stock and wires.

In use, for example, wire A may be fastened to the stock 10 by clamp 27. Likewise wire B may be fastened to the follower 17 by clamp 26. The extension arms 18 and 1/1' may be in place or removed as desired and if in place the clips 33 are disposed over such extension arms. The wires to be stretched thus maintain the device in position. With the follower 17, preferably disposed as far to the left as possible, lever 18 is actuated so that by means of the pawls 20 and 21 alternately engaging the notches 25 ,of the upper and lower bars 16, a step by step movement is imparted to the follower which pushes the follower to the right in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 1 and pushes the stock to the left in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 1, thus by a pushing action serving to stretch or tension both of the wires A and B, and avoiding any slack therein. `When such wires are tensioned, they are accessible and may be spliced through the opening O, or staples may be passed through that opening and over the wires in order to secure them to a fence post or otherwise. 1t will be particularly noted that both of the wires are disposed at the rear of the stock or tool so that after the wires are spliced or stapled, the tool may be readily detached by disengaging the wires at clamps 26Vand 27 and removing the clips at 33.

In the event the follower 17 is moved to its limit to the'right and the wires still are not stretched or taut, wire B may be fastened to clamp 28 and detached from the follower at 26, after which the follower 17 is slid as far as possible to the left, wire B relieved of slack and reattached, then released at clamp 28, and the follower' again moved toward the right.

Figure 3 illustrates the form of Figures 1 and 2 used to stretch a single wire in cooperation with a corner post C. 1n lieu of wire B, a chain or the like D is fastened to clamp 26 and to post C with the left hand extension arm 13 removed. The-stock 10 moves to the left but the follower remains anchored, when lever 18 is actuated as in conj nection with theform of Figures 1 and 2.

In case one movement of the stock to its limit to the left isinsufticientrthe wire at such limit is fastened to the take up clamp 26a. The wire is then released at clamp 27 and thestock moved as far as possible to the right after which the wire is reattached to clamp 27 and vreleased at clamp 261 to the end that further operation of lever 18 will move the stock 1G again to the left.

The form of Figure f1 operates in the same manner as that of Figure 8 except that the follower is omitted and block and tackle mechanism is substituted as the power means.

rlhis means utilizes blocks 31 and 32 carrying pulleys 33 and 34 over which the rope or cable 85 is trained for 1pulling to draw said blocks toward each other. Block 31 by a hook 86 is detachably engaged in opening 29 while block 32 by a hook 37 is detachably connected to chain D. Block 32 may also carry the take up clamp 26*l so that when successive movements of the stock are necessary, the wire may be fastened thereto before release at clamp 27 to take up the slack.

The apparatus of Figure 1, without both extension arms 13 and 14 is illustrated in Figure 5 as stretching two wires like the device of Figure 1. The clamps are numbered similarly to those of Figure 1 and the operation is the same except that the block and tackle is the power means in lieu of follower 17 and lever 18. i

Figure 6 shows that the form of stock may be modified and yet attain the same advantages as that of the other figures. Merely one of the bars 16 is omitted. The single .bar 40 is odset like bars 16 and has the arms 11 and 12 extending therefrom.

Various other examples of the principles and practice of the invention will become apparent.

What is claimed is 1. A. stretcher consisting of a stock having arms, clips for association with said arms to guide elements to be stretched, said vstock having means to which one of said elements may be fastened, a follower movable with respect to said stock to which the other element may be fastened, said stock having spaced bars, said means being located adjacent one end of said bars, said stock having a means adjacent the said means for fastening of one of said elements thereto, said stock having an opening adjacent the other end of said bars for connection of. a source of power thereto in lieu of the follower, kand said bars being offset relative to the longitudinal median line of the stock.

2. A stretcher consisting ofV a stock, said stock having means yto which an element to be stretched may be attached, means movable with respect to said stock to which .a second element may be fastened, saidstock having spaced bars between which said movable means operate, said first named fastening means being located adjacent one end of said bars, means adjacent said rst named fastening means for fasteningv oneof said elements to the stock, and said bars being offset relative to theflongitudinal median line of the stock.

1n testimony whereof 1 ax my signature in Ypresence of two witnesses.

JAS. R. RorsoN, H. Q. ABELL. 

